E is definitely not a Belgian IPA - it's a funky version of Edward (american pale ale) - fermented with brettanomyces, dry hopped with galaxy, and aged on stainless for four months. Basically, we refer to it as a farmhouse pale ale - a cross between a saison and an american pale.

2012 Release: Aged in Mimosa barrels.
2014 Release: Aged in wine barrels with resident yeast and microfloa for 1.5 years.

More User Reviews:

Pour: Hazy golden orange, with a massive three finger white, soapy head. Head is super thick, and hangs around to a long time. This heavy lacing.

Smell: Starts with an earthy funk, followed by some bready yeast, pepper, and citrus. Some lemon zest and clove in there.

Taste: E. has really started to brett out. Earthy funk right off the bat, followed by some citrus zests. Biscuity sweetness mingles with peppers and spices. Clean and bitter on the finish, with a substantial amount of earthiness.

Mouthfeel: Juicy, yet dry. The funk own the mouthfeel as well. Really quite refreshing, and the best part of this beer.

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Bottle poured into a Hill Farmstead stem (4/5/13) - score based on this review!

Pour: Hazy, bright pale orange with a giant three plus finger white, foamy head. This bottle was an excessive gusher right away. Some sticky lacing, and the head hangs around the entire glass.

Smell: Big, bright, tropical brett. Lots of pineapple, mango, grapefruit, and papaya. A touch of earthiness, and a very light funk. Some saison like qualities.

Taste: Really tropical fruits up front, with more pineapple and mango, and some grapefruit. A nice bready sweetness. Not much in the way of funk, but a definite mild earthiness. Finishes juicy with the tropical fruits from the start.

Mouthfeel: Slightly tart, but only just. Really crisp, and despite the excessive gushing, not overly carbonated.

Overall: This beer really evolved in the 6 month span between the times I had it. I definitely enjoyed it with more age.

Pours out a compilation of golden and yellow tones with some lighters straw hints around the edges. Super volatile pour, even being somewhat conservative creates a head that grows thicker than the amount of beer that's been poured already; eggshell-white, cloudy, and foamy, leaving huge chunks of lacing as it slowly recedes.

I bring E. up to my face and I'm met with a huge bouquet of roses; the aroma is largely floral, comprised of fresh, wet roses and bitter grassy notes. The hops are clearly the key component in this one. Successive whiffs reveal a more refined hop character, rounded out with tones of earth, dirt, and musk. Light hints of funk and wet wood (as well as some of the musk) is probably from the brett yeast used. There isn't much to be said in terms of malt, at least as far as the aroma is concerned. The hop profile here is certainly different - one of the most purely, raw, floral things I've smelled in quite some time. Very, very light tropical fruit and citrus peek in more and more with each sniff - maybe apple skins and/or pears?

I take my first swig of E. and I'm not sure if I just drank a beer or if I ate a flower and a handful of grass. There should be no surprise, however, as the aroma was largely floral and grassy. The vegetal notes are pretty huge on this one; grass, roses, and perfume. The hops are raw and dirty, giving off a very weedy, grassy, and bitter tone. They must have used a ton of bittering hops on this one - the bitterness charges in, rides the wave hard, and doesn't come close to being settled by the end. I would have like more aromatics to accompany this dry, leafy bitterness. A mild citrus zest sits quiet in the background, but never jumps out and strong as I was hoping for. There's a heavy bit of funk and wet oak in the aftertaste - hard to pick it up throughout the sip, as the hop notes are so profound. Medium bodied, heavily carbonated.

Hm... I don't love E. like the scores and reviews said I would. Listening to others describe it, it definitely sounds like something right up my alley. Don't get me wrong - it was a good beer, but I guess from the way people talk about HF, I was possibly expecting a bit too much. I like the funk and oak in the end, but the bittering hops just don't make my palate dance like they should. Either way, still a solid brew, but likely nothing I'll seek out again.

Pours a clear orange/amber color with a huge white head, very sticky and pillowy with a ton of nice lacing. Nose is a bit funky and maybe some bret? It reminds me of a hoppy Orval or houblon chouffe, very nice.

Mouthfeel seems a bit light, carbonation is there but not quite as big as I was expecting/hoping. Taste though, does not disappoint. Very hoppy and citrusy with yeasty Belgian spice that is very well done and balanced.